Rolf Harris Questioned By Savile Police

Police have questioned television star Rolf Harris on suspicion of committing sexual offences.

Police first raided his home in November 2012. He was interviewed under caution a few days later after agreeing to attend a South London police station by appointment. He was then arrested on March 28.

Harris was honoured for services to entertainment and the community in 2001

The arrest is not understood to be linked to the Jimmy Savile investigation. A statement issued by Scotland Yard said: "An 82-year-old man from Berkshire was arrested by officers on Operation Yewtree on suspicion of sexual offences.

"He has been bailed to a date in May pending further enquiries. The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'others'."

Harris was first named as a suspect on Twitter nearly five months ago by a former Surrey police detective. Since then, police have refused to confirm Harris was being investigated.

Reporters have been gathering outside the entertainer's home but the entertainer has yet to appear.

Harris is originally from Perth, Australia but has lived in the UK for fifty years. In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal for service to entertainment, charity and the community.

In June 2012 Harris was one of the comperes at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert outside Buckingham Palace and in October 2012 he began presenting a Channel 5 series based around Liverpool University's Veterinary School called Rolf's Animal Clinic.

Both Harris and his publicity agent have refused to comment on his arrest. He is one of 11 men arrested by Yewtree detectives investigating sexual abuse allegations in the wake of the Jimmy Savile probe.

Others questioned by police include Freddie Starr, Jim Davidson, Dave Lee Travis and Max Clifford.

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New Round Of Fuel Price Cuts For Motorists

Petrol: The Pump Price Conundrum

Updated: 10:35pm UK, Wednesday 30 January 2013

By Ursula Errington, Business Correspondent

So, the OFT says motorists aren't being ripped off, that the price of petrol on our forecourts is fair and isn't the result of collusion or price-fixing.

Outraged motoring groups still aren't convinced.

The reality is, I don't think anyone knows how to work out the relationship between crude oil and pump price.

From the moment crude oil is pumped out of the ground to when we hand over our money at the till to pay for a topped-up tank, the price of the commodity has been influenced by multiple markets all subject to their own supply and demand idiosyncrasies.

I last worked in oil trading about a decade ago and back then the relationship between the price of Brent crude oil and pump prices was deemed to be pretty sketchy.

Assiduous analysts, whose job it was to structure financial instruments to hedge the bank's customers with exposure to fluctuations in the oil market, pored over oil prices and pump price data looking for a concrete correlation on which to base a safe hedging instrument.

Judging by the collective sighing, teeth-gnashing and head-in-hand gestures, it proved both time consuming and difficult.

Broadly a six-week time lag was identified between a movement in the crude oil price to a correlating adjustment in the pump prices back then but it was considered too statistically patchy to appeal to clients.

So why is it so difficult to find a relationship between the price of oil and the pump price drivers pay?

Firstly, pricing crude oil itself is pretty complicated. Before the black stuff is even out of the ground its anticipated value has been traded on the futures market for weeks, months or years before.

On any one day the oil price is set by taking a combination of a weighted average and straight average up to two months in the future, of all the trades over 600,000 barrels executed on the electronic trading platform the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE).

So it is fair to say that part of the oil price is set by traders who are speculating, who have no intention of allowing their futures contracts to mature and "go physical" (i.e. become related to an actual cargo of oil) but who are buying and selling futures contracts depending on their day-to-day view of the multiplicity of variables effecting the market.

This need not be considered a bad thing. Speculative traders aren't just plucking figures out of the air, they are working on the basis of fine-tuned mathematical models used to assist them in weighting all the factors in play - an outlandish speculative trade based on few decent indicators wouldn't be in their interest at all.

Crucially, these traders add a huge volume of trades to the market, which actually means that big distortions in one trader's view are evened out across the average when the price is set. 

Then there is the shipping market to get the stuff to shore. Highly volatile and as prone to geo-political influences as the commodity itself, shipping deals are opaque because they are over-the-counter and are often based on long-term trading relationships.

The economics of refining are also unhelpfully complex, predominantly because optimising refinery operations is tricky.

Refinery margins (the difference in price between the wholesale value of the products coming out of the refinery and the crude oil from which they were derived) have been surging for many companies of late because of a relative drop in the cost of crude oil and solid demand for products but unscheduled refinery outages, workers on strike, storage costs, changes in the quality of the crude itself - all these things will impact the margin within hours.

And then there's the cost of haulage and the variables at petrol station level, such as a franchise owner's credit rating, local forecourt wars and location.

All of that and we still have some of the cheapest fuel in Europe, according to the OFT.

But it's not over yet - the taxman must also have his share. In the 10 years from 2003 to 2012, prices at the pump increased from 76p per litre (ppl) to 136ppl for petrol and from 78ppl to 142ppl for diesel. Nearly 24ppl of that increase was because of tax and duty.

Is it any wonder then that trying to compare the price of crude oil and the pump price proves a largely fruitless task?

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Boston Bombings: Wrong Suspect Reveals Fears

A teenager says he fears for his safety after internet vigilantes wrongly identified him as a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings and he was pictured on the front of the New York Post.

How the boys were pictured in the New York Post

Boston student Salah Eddin Barhoum, 17, was pictured near the finish line with his friend Yassine Zaime wearing baseball caps and carrying bags.

The images were published on several websites which claimed their demeanour was suspicious and they could be responsible for the attacks.

The New York Post published one of the pictures on their front page under the headline "Bag Men" and claimed federal agents were hunting for them.

The front page set off a wave of speculation on Twitter as users began re-tweeting the pictures and a massive search began for the boys.

Salah said he suddenly began receiving messages from people who recognised him and began blaming him for the attacks.

One person from Oregon reportedly asked him: "How could you do that? Did you even think about the consequences?"

He was so frightened by being wrongly implicated that he ran back to school on Thursday when he saw a man staring at him, he said.

One of the pictures that swept the internet and social media sites

The New York Post later admitted the men were not suspects. But Salah says the damage has been done and people will still blame him for the attack.

"I'm going to be scared going to school," he said. "Workwise, my family, everything is going to be scary."

His father moved his family to the US from Morocco five years ago. He says he is worried his son could be shot and fears for his wife and two young daughters.

"Right now, we are not secure," he said. "When the news put something out they should be sure about the information."

The real suspects: the man in the white cap is still being hunted by police

Salah - a track runner at Boston's Revere High School - said he was only identified as a suspect because he was carrying a shoulder bag and has dark skin.

He was at the marathon with Yassine as they hoped to run a portion of it behind the official field of runners. Salah said his bag contained his running gear and shoes.

The New York Post has said it stands by its story. The paper's editor Col Allan, said: "The image was emailed to law enforcement agencies yesterday afternoon seeking information about these men, as our story reported. We did not identify them as suspects."

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Texas Plant Explosion: 12 Bodies Recovered

A law enforcement official says 12 bodies have been recovered following a massive explosion that levelled a fertiliser plant and destroyed dozens of homes.

Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt Jason Reyes said it was "with a heavy heart" that he confirmed the bodies had been pulled from the area of the plant explosion.

Even before investigators released a confirmed number of fatalities, the names of the dead were becoming known in the town of 2,800.

The blast levelled nearby apartments

A small group of firefighters and others who may have rushed toward the factory to battle a pre-explosion blaze are believed to be among the dead. Sgt Reyes said he could not confirm how many of those killed were first responders.

Search and rescue crews continue to sift through the still-smouldering remains for survivors.

Authorities say there is no indication that the blast was anything other than an industrial accident. It remains unclear what sparked the blaze.

"We know everyone that was there first, in the beginning," said Christina Rodarte, who has lived in West for 27 years. "There's no words for it.

Mourners gather for a candle light vigil at a church in West

"It is a small community, and everyone knows the first responders, because anytime there's anything going on, the fire department is right there - all volunteer."

One victim Ms Rodarte knew and whose name has been released was Kenny Harris, a 52-year-old captain in the Dallas Fire Department who lived south of West. He was off duty at the time but responded to the fire to help, according to a statement from the city of Dallas.

West's landscape is likely to be altered permanently after an area four to five blocks in radius was levelled by the blast. An apartment complex was badly shattered, a school set ablaze, and a nursing home was left in ruins.

Residents have been kept out of a large swathe of West, where search and rescue teams continue to pick through the rubble.

A massive plume of smoke filled the Texas sky after the blast

Some with permission have made forays closer to the destruction and came back stunned - and it is possible other residents will be allowed to retrieve some personal belongings on Friday, emergency workers said.

Texas attorney general Greg Abbott said: "I had an expectation of what I would see, but what I saw went beyond my expectations in a bad way. It is very disturbing to see the site."

Firefighter Darryl Hall, from Thorndale, about 50 miles away from West, was one of the rescue workers helping with the house-to-house search.

He said: "People's lives are devastated here. It's hard to imagine."

A team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives still had not been able to begin investigating the scene because it remained unsafe, agency spokeswoman Franceska Perot said.

The West Fertilizer Co facility stores and distributes anhydrous ammonia, a fertiliser that can be directly injected into soil, and a blender and mixer of other fertilisers.

A nearby football pitch served as a makeshift triage in the aftermath

Records reviewed by the AP news agency show the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration fined West Fertilizer $10,000 last summer for safety violations that included planning to transport anhydrous ammonia without a security plan.

An inspector also found the plant's ammonia tanks were not properly labelled.

In a risk-management plan filed with the Environmental Protection Agency about a year earlier, the company said it was not handling flammable materials and did not have sprinklers, water-deluge systems, blast walls, fire walls or other safety mechanisms in place at the plant.

State officials require all facilities that handle anhydrous ammonia to have sprinklers and other safety measures because it is a flammable substance, according to Mike Wilson, head of air permitting for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

But inspectors would not necessarily check for such mechanisms, and it is not known whether they did when the West plant was last inspected in 2006, said Ramiro Garcia, head of enforcement and compliance.

That inspection followed a complaint about a strong ammonia smell, which the company resolved by obtaining a new permit, said the commission's executive director Zak Covar.

He said no other complaints had been filed with the state since then, so there have not been additional inspections.

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Man Charged With Murders Of Mother And Son

A man has been charged with the murders of a mother and son who were found with multiple stab wounds at their home in Bolton-le-Sands near Preston.

Paul Chadwick, 34, of Lowlands Road, Bolton-le-Sands, has been remanded to appear before Preston Magistrates on Saturday.

The Crown Prosecution Service had authorised Lancashire Constabulary to charge Chadwick with two counts of murder.

Police discovered the bodies of Lisa Clay, 40, and her six-year-old son Joseph Chadwick at their home address in Lowlands Road on Tuesday, April 9.

The house where Lisa Clay and her son Joseph Chadwick were found

A post mortem examination by a Home Office pathologist revealed that both died from multiple stab wounds.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of murder at the scene and airlifted to the Royal Preston Hospital with serious stab wounds.

Police were called to the pebble-dashed dormer bungalow in the village of Bolton-le-Sands by a concerned relative.

Anybody with information is urged to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Prince Harry To Race To South Pole

Prince Harry has announced he will take part in a race to the South Pole with a team of wounded British servicemen and women.

The 28-year-old will take on teams from the United States and the Commonwealth in the 208-mile (335km) Walking With The Wounded South Pole Allied Challenge in November and December this year.

Speaking at a conference in London at which the teams were announced, Prince Harry said: "It just remains for me to say to Soldier On Canada, Soldiers To Summits from the US and Soldier On Australia - welcome to the party.

"As a member of the British team, I will have a brew ready for you when you join us at the Pole."

Harry, who took part in the charity's trek to the North Pole in 2011 and is the event's patron, confirmed he will be competing as part of Team Glenfiddich.

He missed out on a bid to conquer Mount Everest with the group last year because of his military commitments and he withdrew early from the successful North Pole expedition to attend his brother's wedding.

The prince had to drop out of a previous trek to the North Pole

He said of the South Pole race: "The format may be different. The scale is certainly different.

"But the aim remains the same - to enable our wounded to do what they and all other servicemen and women do better than anyone else I know - meet a challenge head-on and overcome it and inspire others to do the same.

"Ladies and gentlemen, these men and women have given their all in the cause of freedom, in our cause.

"That they should once again step into the breach - this time facing down the extreme physical and mental challenges of trekking to the South Pole - just underlines their remarkable qualities."

Harry, who is known as Captain Wales in the Army, will race in Team Glenfiddich with Sergeant Duncan Slater, 34, who lost both his legs in a blast in Afghanistan in 2009; Major Kate Philp, 34, who lost her left leg after a bomb blast in 2008; Captain Guy Disney, 31, who lost his right leg in a rocket attack in 2009; and Captain Ibrar Ali, who lost his right arm in a roadside bomb in 2007.

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Boston Bombing: Suspect Pictured Near Victims

A photograph of one of the Boston bombing suspects has emerged showing him standing close to a family devastated by the blast.

Dzhokhar A Tsarnaev, 19, who is still at large, is believed to be the man in the photograph.

Images of the two suspects were released by the FBI

Standing close to him are the Richard family; eight-year-old Martin Richard was killed in the blast, his mother suffered brain injuries, and his sister lost a leg.

The other suspect, believed to be his brother, is named Tamerlan.

The FBI released this photograph of Dzhokhar

It has been reported that they are from Chechnya or Dagestan and have lived in the US for at least one year.

The father of the suspects, speaking from the Dagestan capital of Makhachkala, called Dzhokhar "a true angel".

A photo of the second suspect was released by police in Boston

He added: "He is a second-year medical student in the U.S. He is such an intelligent boy. We expected him to come on holidays here."

Sky's Moscow correspondent Katie Stallard said the Dagestan region is associated with insurgents.

An image showing one suspect leaving the scene (David Green/LetsRun.com)

"On (a social networking page) he describes himself as having studied in Makhachkala, that's the capital of Dagestan, and that's very much at the heart of the regional insurgency at the moment.

"It used to be that it was Chechnya that was the heart of this insurgency, but a crackdown has forced much of that insurgency into neighbouring regions."

A major manhunt is under way for the remaining suspect

Earlier, the FBI and Boston police released new pictures of the two suspects, who investigators had described as "armed and dangerous".

The images released on Friday morning show one suspect wearing dark clothes, a dark cap and sunglasses.

He is understood to have been shot dead.

The second suspect is seen wearing a white baseball cap, which is reversed allowing a clearer view of his face.

Police say he is armed and should not be approached by the public.

CCTV footage was released of the pair on Thursday, in which they are seen carrying bulky backpacks as they walk the route of Monday's race in the heart of the city.

The men were filmed heading in the direction of the finishing line, moments before both bombs went off seconds apart.

Three people were killed and more than 180 others injured in the explosions.

Earlier at a moving inter-faith memorial service, Barack Obama joined 1,700 people at Boston's Holy Cross Cathedral to honour the victims - the youngest of whom was eight-year-old Martin Richard, from Boston.

The president promised the killers would be brought to justice, saying: "We will find you.

"We will hold you accountable. But more than that, our fidelity to our way of life - to our free and open society - will only grow stronger."

The bombs were crudely made with explosives, nails and ball bearings packed into pressure cookers, investigators close to the case have said.

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Boston Marathon Bombings 'Terror' Suspect Hunt

Armed police are hunting one of two men thought to be behind the Boston Marathon bombings, after shooting dead his alleged accomplice.

Described as "armed and dangerous", 19-year-old Dzhokhar A Tsarnaev is being sought by hundreds of officers in Watertown, after escaping the shoot-out in which his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed.

At least one gun shot was heard shortly before 4pm UK time in the town, which lies around nine miles from Boston city centre.

The suspect being hunted by police

The pair moved to the US a decade ago from a Russian region near Chechnya and had been living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as legal permanent residents.

Speaking to reporters, the suspects' uncle Ruslan Tsarni issued an appeal to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, saying: "Turn yourself in, and ask forgiveness."

Mr Tsarni, who lives in Maryland, said he had not seen the pair for several years. He said the family was ashamed and that he loves and respects the US.

Sean Collier, the MIT police officer who was shot and killed

Meanwhile, FBI agents are at the New Jersey home of the two men's sister, who police said is "very upset".

The younger brother is said to have posted links to Islamic websites and others  on a Russian-language social networking site, calling for Chechen independence .

All public transport remains suspended in Boston - and all streets and businesses in Watertown locked down - while a major house-to-house manhunt continues for the suspect who escaped.

The suspect at the marathon among the bombing victims (Pic: Kevin O'Keefe)

The shoot-out in the residential suburb of Watertown between both suspects and dozens of armed officers came after Sean Collier, a 26-year-old campus policeman, was shot dead in his vehicle at the nearby Massachusetts Institute Of Technology.

The suspects are believed to have killed the MIT campus policeman before carjacking a black Mercedes SUV, taking its owner hostage and driving off towards Watertown with police in pursuit.

On their way, the hostage was dumped at a petrol station after around 30 minutes, before the shootout ensued in Watertown.

Boston Police commissioner Ed Davis said: "What we are looking for right now is a suspect consistent with the description of suspect number two - the white-capped individual who was involved in Monday's bombing of the Boston Marathon."

He was described as light-skinned with brown wavy hair and dressed in a grey hooded top.

The dead suspect, who ran at officers during the stand-off

Mr Davis said: "You have seen the picture. You all have it. That's the individual we are looking for at this moment.

"We believe this to be a terrorist. We believe this to be a man who came here to kill people."

"We believe these to be the same individuals who are responsible for the bombing on Monday at the Boston Marathon."

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said a "massive manhunt" was under way.

A Swat team on a roof in Watertown (Pic: Samantha England)

"This is a serious situation, we are taking it seriously and we are asking the public to take it seriously," he said.

Officials said the operation could take hours and asked the public to be patient.

The New York Times quoted Watertown resident Andrew Kitzenberg, who said he saw the pair, wearing backpacks, shooting at dozens of police officers from behind a black Mercedes SUV.

The 29-year-old said the officers and the men were 70 yards apart and engaged in "constant gunfire".

Boston Police commissioner Ed Davis holding a press conference in Watertown

He said an explosive device was also thrown at the police and went off some 20 yards from where they were shooting.

One suspect is said to have run at police and was shot at and apprehended. He later died in hospital despite attempts to resuscitate him.

According to NBC, police ran over the suspect because he was wearing an IED (improvised explosive device). However this has not been confirmed by police or other officials.

Watertown Residents heard the gun battle and an explosion

He arrived at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre with multiple injuries mainly around his torso including gunshot wounds, burns consistent with a blast and pieces of shrapnel all over his body.

The other, who is said to be badly injured, managed to get away from the stand-off - in which a police officer was also shot and is undergoing surgery at a Boston hospital.

Police officers arriving at the scene in the neighbourhood

Some 12 victims from the Boston Marathon blasts remain at the same hospital, one in a critical condition. Around 24 others who suffered injuries have been discharged.

A spokesman said though the hospital was open as normal, it was restricting access to "ensure the safety of patients, families and visitors", and urged people to show patience when arriving at the site.

One medic, who lives in Watertown, heard the shoot-out from his home and alerted emergency services before rushing to the hospital where he tried to revive the suspect.

Hundreds of thousands of residents across Boston and Watertown have been told to stay indoors and remain vigilant until further notice while police conduct house-to-house searches.

Bullet holes through the wall and chair of one home caught in the crossfire

Several homes in Watertown suffered extensive damage from the bomb blast and were caught in the crossfire in the shoot-out.

Police have sealed off the area and are conducting door-to-door searches and enquiries.

Sky's US correspondent Dominic Waghorn in Watertown, said: "It has been a terrifying night for the people of Watertown, and it remains so until this man is found."

Meanwhile, police converged on what is believed to be the suspects' apartment in Cambridge and a woman was reportedly dragged from the block of flats and handcuffed before she was led away.

Chechnya's president, Ramzan Kadyrov, said in a statement: "Any attempts to draw the link between Tsarnaevs (even if they are guilty)  and Chechnya are in vain.

"They grew up in USA and their views and beliefs were formed there. One needs to seek the roots of evil in America. All the world should be fighting terrorism together.

The shootout took place in the Watertown neighbourhood near Boston

"We know it better than anyone else. We wish all those who suffered to get well soon and we share the feeling of sorrow with Americans."

The developments come just days after two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 180 others.

The FBI had earlier released pictures and video of two suspects in the deadly Boston marathon bombings.

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Verdict In Case Of Woman Refused Abortion

Expert: Savita Could Have Lived

Updated: 6:31pm UK, Friday 19 April 2013

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

Five times in 30 years, Ireland has voted on abortion. The tragic death of Savita Halappanavar has forced the country to search its soul once more on the emotive issue.

The 29-year-old dentist, a popular member of Galway's Indian community, died in the city's University Hospital last October. Her husband claimed doctors had refused to terminate her pregnancy.

For seven days, Praveen Halappanavar has listened to harrowing evidence at the inquest into his wife's death.  He said he felt her presence with him on his quest for justice.

Mr Halappanavar told jurors Savita had wept "tears of happiness" over her pregnancy but claimed she requested an abortion three times when doctors discovered she was miscarrying at 17 weeks.

Ann Maria Burke, a midwife, has apologised for telling Mrs Halapannavar she could not have a termination "because Ireland is a Catholic country", insisting she did not mean to "offend."

Expert witness Dr Peter Boylan, a former master at Ireland's National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, said Savita would "on the balance of probabilities" still be alive if granted a termination.

Abortion remains illegal in Ireland unless there is a threat to the mother's life, not just her health.  Doctors have to wait until she is dangerously ill before terminating a pregnancy.

Despite a Supreme Court ruling in 1992, the Irish government has never legislated for termination when the mother's life is at risk but is expected to do so this summer.

Pro-choice groups are campaigning for the threat of suicide to be included but this seems unlikely, much to the relief of pro-life groups.  The split is reflected on the streets.

The younger women Sky News spoke to were keen to see the law changed, but an elderly lady disagreed: "In all these things, God knows best and it works like that."

Dearbhla Geraghty from the Connaught Tribune senses change: "I felt I was witnessing history being made when Dr Peter Boylan said she would have survived had the law been different."

Had things gone to plan, Praveen Halapannavar would be the father of a two-week-old daughter.  Instead, he mourns the wife he loved and the child they yearned for.

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Boston Suspects' Uncle: 'Turn Yourself In'

The uncle of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects has urged his nephew to turn himself in, saying he had brought shame to the family and the entire Chechnyan ethnicity.

"Yes, we're ashamed. They're the children of my brother," Ruslan Tsarni told a throng of reporters outside his home in Montgomery Village, Maryland.

The suspects have been identified by law enforcement officials and family members as Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, brothers from a Russian region near Chechnya.

Authtorities have focused their search for Dzhokhar to a Boston suburb

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a 26-year-old who had been known to the FBI as Suspect No 1 and was seen in surveillance footage in a black baseball cap, was killed overnight, officials said.

His brother, a 19-year-old college student who was dubbed Suspect No. 2, escaped. He was seen wearing a white, backward baseball cap in the images from Monday's deadly bombing at the marathon finish line.

CCTV images appear to show the two brothers just before the blasts

Mr Tsarni said: "Dzhokhar, if you're alive, turn yourself in and ask for forgiveness from the victims, from the injured, and from those who left. Ask forgiveness from these people."

Mr Tsarni called his nephews "losers" and said his family had not seen them since December 2005. They lived near Boston and had been in the US for about a decade.

He said vehemently that Chechnya had nothing to do with the attack. He said his nephews had struggled to settle themselves in the US and ended up "thereby just hating everyone".

Mr Tsarni said his nephew "put a shame" on his family, adding they "put a shame on the entire Chechnyan ethnicity".

Mr Tsarni said his brother left the US and he has not talked to him since 2009. He said he did not believe the suspects' father played any role in the suspects' alleged actions.

"If somebody radicalised them ... it's not my brother, who just moved back to Russia. Who spent his life bringing bread to that table, fixing cars."

Mr Tsarni offered his condolences to the victims.

"We're sharing with them their grief. I'm ready just to meet with them. I'm ready just to bend in front of them, to kneel in front of them, seeking that forgiveness," he said.

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Mother's Toddler Murder Conviction Quashed

A woman has had her conviction for murdering her toddler son quashed by appeal judges.

No reason was given for the decision to overturn Kimberley Hainey's life sentence, which was issued in December, 2011, for the murder of her son Declan in their home in Paisley in Renfrewshire.

It is expected the court will hear the opinion of judges Lord Clarke, Lord Mackay of Drumadoon and Lord Drummond Young on Thursday.

Hainey, 38, was originally told she would serve a minimum of 15 years for the murder.

Declan's mummified body was was discovered in March 2010, when he would have been 23 months old.

He was last seen alive when he was 15 months old.

During the judge's sentencing, Lord Woolman told Hainey: "Declan's first birthday took place in April, 2009, he appeared to have all his life in front of him.

"He was surrounded by a loving family and people thought you were a loving mother. A few months later he was dead.

"You were Declan's carer. You did not allow others to get close to him. Instead you isolated him from your family, your neighbours, your friends and from the welfare services.

"None of them thought that Declan's life was at risk. You engineered that situation.

"You embarked on a systematic and elaborate course of conduct to prevent people knowing, or suspecting, that Declan was dead.

"It was a lengthy course of deceit that prevented proper inquiries being made."

The judge acknowledged that Hainey had struggled with drink and drugs and that her son's death was a "huge tragedy" for her, as she said she loved the boy "more than anything in the world".

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Free Sandwiches May Have Contained Rat Poison

Twenty employees of a company in Germany have been hospitalised in case sandwiches they were given as a gift turn out to have been poisoned.

The suspicious sandwiches were left on the doorstep of a company near the northwestern town of Vechta on Tuesday with a note saying they were a present.

Police say 25 employees of the company in Steinfeld, Lower Saxony, ate the sandwiches before someone noticed a strange substance on them.

The emergency services were called and a fleet of ambulances took those who had eaten the sandwiches for urgent treatment.

The company and the identity of those who ate them has not been revealed.

Local reports in Germany say the substance is suspected to be rat poison.

Police said those placed in hospital were taken in as a precaution. They are in intensive care, according to local media. 

Area force spokesman Klaus Koesterke said Wednesday that so far none of those hospitalised has shown symptoms of poisoning.

But officials said they are not excluding the possibility of a slow-acting poison.

Uneaten samples of the sandwiches have been sent to a Berlin laboratory for tests.

Officers have also appealed for anyone else who may have eaten the sandwiches to come forward.

It has also not been revealed why the employees thought the rolls were safe to eat.

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Child Caught In Battle Over US Tribal Rights

America's highest court is deciding the fate of a three-year-old girl who was adopted at birth but then forcibly returned to her Native American father.

The case is the first time in 14 years and only the second time ever that the US Supreme Court has been asked to rule on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978.

The law was intended to prevent Native American children from being separated from their families.

Matt and Melanie Capobianco are appealing a 2011 family court decision that annulled their adoption and transferred custody of Veronica, aged two at the time, to Dusten Brown after DNA tests proved his paternity.

He had renounced his parental rights during the pregnancy but changed his mind when he heard about the adoption.

The decision was upheld in July, when the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled with a "heavy heart" in favour of the biological father, a decision the dissenting justices described as a "human tragedy".

Now three years old, Veronica lives with Mr Brown and his new partner in Oklahoma.

The adoptive parents, who are supported by the biological mother, protested to the US Supreme Court.

They argue the ICWA does not apply in 11 other US states where Native American tribes are located.

They say the judgement would have been different if the adoption had taken place elsewhere.

The couple's lawyer, Lisa Blatt, called the situation "absurd" and "Kafkaesque" in arguments on Tuesday before the US Supreme Court.

She said it could effectively ban cross-racial adoption of Native American children.

But the biological father, who is supported by the Cherokee Nation, got an unexpected boost from two of the justices.

"He's the father," said Antonin Scalia.

"If the father's fit, why do you think that the federal statute requires that it be given to a stranger rather than to the biological father?", said Sonia Sotomayor.

The Capobiancos had made seven unsuccessful IVF attempts before the adoption.

They also financed part of the medical costs for the child's birth mother, who was not Native American, attended the September 2009 birth and returned to South Carolina with Veronica when she was just eight days old.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who has two adopted children himself, seemed to lean in favour of the Capobiancos when Mr Brown was described in court as excited about being a father.

"He was excited by it. He just didn't want to take responsibility," the judge said.

A decision is expected in late June before the court ends its session.

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Lowestoft: Death Fall Mum 'Cared Too Much'

A heavily pregnant woman who fell to her death before her three young children were found dead was "beautiful and intelligent", her family have said.

Fiona Anderson had suffered from mental illness

Fiona Anderson, 23, has now been formally identified after she suffered fatal head injuries at a multi-storey car park on Monday morning.

Officers investigating the incident later found the children - named by neighbours as Levina, three, Addy, two, and 11-month-old baby Kyden - at their home in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

In a statement issued by Suffolk police, Ms Anderson's mother Kerry, father Michael and sisters Claire and Laura said she "cared passionately", but had suffered with mental illness from a young age.

Levina

They said: "Fiona was a beautiful, intelligent girl and a loving and caring person, but she had suffered from mental illness since she was young and we believe she was driven to her actions yesterday.

"This was not our Fiona - she was not herself. She cared passionately about others but often brought stress on herself by caring too much.

"She was gentle but ended up under too much pressure.

Addy

"As a family we were close but she would often push us away, keen to do her own thing and not to listen when we offered support. Life was sometimes overwhelming for her.

"She was really popular but just didn't believe she was and had forgotten there were people there that could help her.

"We wish more had been done to recognise her mental health problems, which could be masked by her intelligence and creativity. She would often make costumes for the children, who she loved very much."

Kyden

The family added that Ms Anderson would be remembered as a "girlie girl" who was also a very private person.

Post-mortem examinations have failed to ascertain how the children died and further tests will be carried out, police said.

Neighbours said Ms Anderson was eight months pregnant with a baby girl she had planned on calling Evalie.

CCTV images show Fiona Anderson shortly before her death

She was seen entering the car park in Battery Green Road, Lowestoft, shortly before 8am on Monday.

CCTV footage showed Ms Anderson walking around Lowestoft holding a teddy bear shortly before she was found.

Detective Superintendent John Brocklebank said the force was "conducting a meticulous investigation" into the tragedy.

The IPCC said it was awaiting details of the case from Suffolk police.

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Thatcher Funeral: Pockets Of Protests

There have been some protests - though smaller than expected - at the funeral of Baroness Thatcher.

Rows broke out between supporters of Lady Thatcher and demonstrators outside the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand.

A pensioner called Phil Williams, who was dressed in a suit and black tie, was holding a banner saying "Rest in Shame" and a "piece of s***", drawing loud cheers.

"Sorry, but it needs saying, they're burying an old woman," said the 58-year-old former power station worker from Shotton in Flintshire.

Protesters set fire to a coffin containing an effigy of Lady Thatcher

He added: "No one's ever heard of Shotton apart from the fact that they lost 8,000 jobs when the steelworks closed in the early 80s.

"Look at what she did to the North, steelworks, mining, the poll tax. She trialled all these things in the North and made criminals out of a million people. I have no regard for the woman."

Protester Charmain Kenner, 58, had her back turned as Lady Thatcher's coffin went past Trafalgar Square in the hearse.

She said: "Thatcher's policies were all about individualistic materialism. She created a much greater divide between rich and poor, she ruined many communities and many industries.

A protest outside the Royal Courts of Justice

"Basically, she ruined this country and, to add insult to injury, we're expected to pay for her funeral."

A protester who gave her name only as Helen stood outside St Paul's during the funeral service, wearing a mask of Lady Thatcher's face.

"It would be lovely if other pensioners could spend their last days in luxury at the Ritz," she said.

"I don't really care about Thatcher's death. She obviously didn't really care about the poor or elderly, or those with dementia when she was prime minister.

Some demonstrators wore Lady Thatcher masks

"I think it's really scandalous that we've spent all this money and time on her funeral. It just adds insult to injury."

Sky's Mick McCarthy, in the former coal town of Goldthorpe in South Yorkshire, said: "There is a truly unique atmosphere. As much of the nation mourns, the mood among former miners and their families in many former coalfields is upbeat and celebratory.

"More than 1,000 people have turned up for what has been described as a death party - unlike any other event I can remember with babies wearing The Witch is Dead t-shirts and a parade lead by a mock hearse and coffin."

In Durham, dozens of ex-miners arrived at a club in Easington Colliery, with many of them saying they were there to celebrate Baroness Thatcher's death.

A protest referring to Lady Thatcher's famous phrase

Hundreds are expected to attend the event, which will also commemorate the end of mining in the town.

Dave Douglass, who worked at Doncaster coalfield for 35 years, said he was there to mourn her birth.

"She wanted to smash the union and sell off whatever was profitable," he said.

"I'm here to mourn her birth as she represents the system that we are all still suffering under.

"I'm also here to commemorate the loss of this pit and every pit in Great Britain.

"If people say it's in bad taste to do this, I would say it was in bad taste when miners were killed on the picket lines.

Protesters in London during the funeral

"I have been watching so much psychotic drivel on the news this morning talking about the names of each horse in the funeral. It's the kind of stage-managed stuff we see in North Korea."

In Liverpool, the city council made the decision not to show the funeral on the big screen in the town centre in Clayton Square.

A spokesman said: "We considered the potential issues and the decision was made not to screen the funeral."

Lady Thatcher was seen as a particularly divisive politician by many on Merseyside due to her attack on the unions which affected thousands of dockers and her perceived lack of interest in the city's problems in the wake of the 1981 Toxteth riots.

Grimethorpe Colliery has not forgotten its anger

At Cumnock in East Ayrshire, the Glenmuir Arms hosted a "funeral party".

Landlord Jim McMahon, a former miner, decked out his pub in Union Flag bunting for a celebration of Lady Thatcher's death in an area where the mining industry was decimated during the years of her reign.

Pub televisions were switched off as a protest against the money spent on the funeral.

Speakers, including former MSP Tommy Sheridan, gave their address from a stage above a pair of papier-mache legs protruding from a sealed box, alongside a witch's broom.

Pub-goers at the Glenmuir Arms in Cumnock celebrate with champagne

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Brit Wanted To Raise Sex Slaves, Say US Police

A British man has been arrested by police in Florida who claim he flew to the US to have sex with an underage girl and then raise their children as sex slaves.

Shuhel Mahboob Ali allegedly made contact via the internet with an undercover investigator from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office in January.  

He is said to have told the agent of his plans.

"As part of the relationship, the suspect allegedly wanted to impregnate the victim, whereupon he would be able to groom the children to be abused by the suspect from the time of birth," a police statement said.

The police said the 39-year-old travelled from London last Saturday and was detained as he went to meet the young girl.

Ali is currently in the custody of the US Marshal's service in Orlando, facing a charge of attempting to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity.

If convicted, Ali faces life in prison with a minimum sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $250,000 (£163,000).

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Measles Outbreak: Mass Vaccination Under Way

By Isabel Webster, Correspondent

Mass vaccination has begun in schools in Swansea on a scale never seen before in South Wales as health officials try to put an end to the measles outbreak.

Some 5,000 children have been identified as at risk in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot and five schools in the area are offering immunisations over the next three days to try and halve that figure.

Rebecca Higgins, 14, was one of 20 students at Bishop Gore school to contract the virus and was one of the first to get the MMR jab today.

She said: "I've never been so ill in my life. I couldn't move or eat, I couldn't stand light and it was just horrendous. So, I wanted to get the jab ASAP - I never want to go through that again."

Sara Hayes, the Director of Public Health for Abertawe Bro Morganwg University Health Board said she's never known a measles epidemic like it in her career.

She said: "I don't think it's reached the peak yet - it still seems to be growing.

"I'm very concerned about that. We will see clusters of cases ongoing - it's a waiting game really - we just hope we're ahead of that with our vaccination programme."

Public Health Wales has recorded a 10% rise in cases of the virus since last week bringing the total number affected since the start of the outbreak in November to 765.

Of those, 77 have had to receive some form of hospital treatment.

The latest figures, which will be updated on Thursday, are expected to show another increase.

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Poisonous Ricin In Letter Sent To Obama: FBI

Two letters containing the potentially deadly poison ricin sent to President Barack Obama and a US senator are related, the FBI has said.

The letters to Mr Obama and Roger Wicker have Memphis in Tennessee postmarks and the same date - April 8.

The bureau said both say: "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance." They are signed: "I am KC and I approve this message."

The FBI said it was pursuing investigative leads to determine who sent the letters.

Earlier, senator Claire McCaskill claimed authorities have a suspect in mind for the Wicker case, but no one has been charged.

Meanwhile, Senator Carl Levin said a worker at his regional office at Saginaw had received a suspicious letter.

He said: "The letter was not opened, and the staffer followed the proper protocols for the situation, including alerting the authorities, who are now investigating.

"We do not know yet if the mail presented a threat. I'm grateful for my staff's quick response and for government personnel at all levels who are responding."

The FBI said preliminary tests on suspicious substances in the two earlier letters indicated it was ricin.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the letter to Mr Obama, received on Tuesday, was intercepted at a facility away from the White House.

The letter to Mississippi Republican Mr Wicker was also intercepted at an off-site mail facility.

Tensions have been high in Washington and across the US since the deadly bombings on Monday at the Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured more than 170.

The FBI said there was no indication of a connection to the marathon attacks.

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Baroness Thatcher's Funeral At St Paul's

Baroness Thatcher has been given a ceremonial funeral at St Paul's Cathedral as Britain remembers a famous but divisive prime minister.

The Queen, her presence effectively raising it to a state event, joined dignitaries from around the world and all Lady Thatcher's successors.

It was the first time the monarch had attended the funeral service of a former prime minister since Sir Winston Churchill's state ceremony in 1965.

The UK's first and so far only female prime minister was given full military honours, her coffin brought to St Paul's on a gun carriage drawn by six black horses.

Lady Thatcher's family on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral

Security across the capital was tight but there appeared to be far smaller crowds than expected, with some areas where barriers were erected almost empty.

Scotland Yard said no arrests were made in London during the morning, although many onlookers were furious that taxpayers were paying most of the funeral bill.

Inside the famous church, more than 2,300 guests paid tribute, led by the former politician's children Mark and Carol and her two grandchildren Michael and Amanda.

Sitting a few rows behind them among today's parliamentarians was Chancellor George Osborne, who had tears running down his face.

An aerial view of St Paul's as the coffin arrived

Aides to the Cabinet minister declined to elaborate on his emotional response, saying it "speaks for itself".

More than 30 members of the Iron Lady's cabinets, including Lord Heseltine and Lord Howe who played a key role in her downfall, were at the service.

Alongside them were dignitaries from around 170 countries, including two heads of state and 11 serving prime ministers.

No-one from the White House was there, but former US vice-president Dick Cheney and ex-secretary of state Henry Kissinger attended in a private capacity.

More than 50 guests were associated with the Falklands, including one of the conflict's most well-known veterans Simon Weston.

Chancellor George Osborne shedding a tear during the service

Figures from the entertainment world included Sir Terry Wogan, Jeremy Clarkson, Katherine Jenkins, Joan Collins and Lord Lloyd-Webber.

The main service was conducted with more pomp and ceremony than any funeral seen in London since the death of the Queen Mother in 2002.

Lady Thatcher had planned it to the last detail and at her express wish, her granddaughter Amanda read the first lesson.

David Cameron read from the Gospel and the Bishop of London gave an address which deliberately steered clear of talking about her political legacy.

He said: "The storm of conflicting opinions centres on the Mrs Thatcher who became a symbolic figure - even an "ism".

"Today the remains of the real Margaret Hilda Thatcher are here at her funeral service. Lying here, she is one of us, subject to the common destiny of all human beings.

"There is an important place for debating policies and legacy; for assessing the impact of political decisions on the everyday lives of individuals and communities.

David Cameron doing a reading in front of the coffin

"Parliament held a frank debate last week - but here and today is neither the time nor the place."

Music by British composers was played at the beginning and end of the service, and the hymns reflected aspects of Lady Thatcher's life.

They included He Who Would Valiant Be, Love Divine All Loves Excelling to mark the influence of her Methodist upbringing and I Vow To Thee My Country because of her love for the nation.

At the end, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby gave the blessing before the coffin was removed by bearers from units linked to the Falklands War.

The Queen greeting Mark and Carol Thatcher outside the church

The waiting crowd gave three cheers as it emerged, after which the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh joined Lady Thatcher's family on the Cathedral steps.

The ceremony followed a sombre procession through central London, which was on lockdown with 4,000 police officers on duty in case of any unrest.

Many among those lining the streets appeared to be Thatcher supporters, although others booed or performed a silent protest as the coffin passed.

The honours had started at dawn with the lowering of flags over government buildings all around the country, where they will remain until dusk.

Big Ben then fell silent at 9.45am and did not chime again until 1pm, in a mark of respect from the institution that made Lady Thatcher's name.

Her coffin, which had rested in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft in Westminster overnight, was removed from Parliament at 10am.

The Blairs and the Camerons were in the congregation

People applauded as the hearse made its way up Whitehall past Downing Street - the politician's home for more than a decade.

A hand-written card from her two children placed in a single large white flower arrangement resting on the coffin read: "Beloved mother, always in our hearts".

Transferred to a gun carriage outside St Clement Danes Church, it was then escorted by hundreds of troops to St Paul's for the service.

The 1.5 ton carriage travelled at 70 steps per minute - its wheels changed from steel to rubber so that it ran more quietly along the road.

During the procession, a gun salute was fired at one-minute intervals from the Tower of London.

Among the three 105mm light guns operated by the Honourable Artillery Company were two used in the Falklands and last fired in anger at Goose Green and the final assault on Port Stanley.

(L-R) Lords Tebbit, Howe and Heseltine outside St Paul's

At St Paul's, the cortege was met by a guard of honour from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards on the steps which were lined by members of all three services and 16 Chelsea pensioners.

As crowds packing the pavements applauded warmly, a single half-muffled bell tolled before the 55-minute service began.

After the ceremony, Lady Thatcher's family and guests went to a reception in the City of London ahead of a private cremation. Her ashes will be interred at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Dozens of onlookers lined the street and applauded as the funeral cortege arrived at Mortlake Crematorium in south-west London.

Ahead of the funeral, David Cameron insisted that his predecessor had settled divisions by winning the big arguments - declaring: "In a way, we are all Thatcherites now."

He added: "She was the first woman prime minister, she served for longer in the job that anyone for 150 years, she achieved some extraordinary things in her life."

Outside St Paul's supporter John Loughrey, from Wandsworth, said: "She saved Britain. She gave my father the opportunity to buy his council house.

The gun carriage entering Fleet Street

"We had all sorts of problems and Mrs Thatcher put it all back together again. We needed the Iron Lady."

Margaret Kittle, 79, had travelled all the way from Canada to pay her respects and was in place on Tuesday to ensure a good view.

She said: "My family came to Churchill's and I wanted to come to Maggie's because they are the two greats of history. We will never see the likes of Mrs Thatcher again."

But student David Winslow, 22, was among the critics in the crowd.

"The message is that spending £10m on such a divisive figure in times of austerity, especially when austerity is being imposed on the poor, is wrong, especially when harm is being caused to the disabled and the NHS," he said.

There was also tension between supporters and protesters near the Royal Courts of Justice, where pensioner Phil Williams held a banner saying "Rest in Shame".

A 45-year-old protester called Helen, who was wearing a mask of Lady Thatcher's face, said: "I think it's really scandalous that we've spent all this money and time on her funeral. It just adds insult to injury.

"I think she ruined Britain's manufacturing industry, which is something the current Government are always harping on about.

"I think she started the culture of vilifying the poor and the disabled and I just think the current Government are following Thatcher's policies."

Protesters angry that taxpayers' paid for most of the funeral

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude said the cost of the funeral to the taxpayer would be "much, much less" than the £10m reported.

Many mining towns ignored the funeral but in Goldthorpe, an effigy of the former prime minister in a noose was paraded and residents plan to burn a coffin later.

One home in the town displayed a huge sign saying: "The Lady's not for turning but tonight she'll be for burning."

Meanwhile in Glasgow, a rally was being held to remember the "industries and communities who suffered" during her premiership.

Prominent left-winger Tommy Sheridan, who helped lead the protests against the poll tax in Scotland, will speak at the event.

However, in Lady Thatcher's hometown of Grantham, dozens gathered to watch the funeral and to pay their respects.

Christine Taylor, 66, said: "I think people forget the way Britain was before she came to power. They forget the winter of discontent."

The hearse passing by the gates of Downing Street

"I felt Mrs Thatcher was somebody who was going to stand up for people. I know she has been divisive but I think she was a great leader."

In Belfast, Unionists marked the funeral in the traditional fashion by flying the Union Flag at half-mast on the City Hall despite recent tensions over a vote to reduce the number of days it is flown.

But Sky's Ireland correspondent David Blevins said Republicans were preparing for evening protests.

On Falls Road in west Belfast, they will honour 14 IRA hunger strikers who died when Lady Thatcher refused to grant them political prisoner status in 1981.

By mid-afternoon, a small group of Republicans - around 50-75 people - had already started protesting at Free Derry Corner in Londonderry.

Ken Clarke, who held a series of senior roles in Lady Thatcher's Cabinets, dismissed people celebrating her death as "adolescents making silly points".

Of the funeral service, he said: "Being as objective as I can be, she was the first woman prime minister. She was the longest-serving prime minister in modern times.

"And she changed the country on a scale which no other prime minister came near. She was a huge national personality so I think it was entirely suitable."

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